PESHAWAR, Nov 28: The recent transfer of the regional director of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has brought to limelight the multi-billion-rupee scam of the Tribal Electric Supply Company (Tesco) in which the outgoing director had ordered an inquiry.

The ex-director, Mr Fasihuddin, told Dawn that the Rs6.8 billion scam involving power theft by steel furnaces in tribal areas was a fit case for the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of so as to safeguard the national interest, as huge loss was inflicted on the exchequer.

Mr Fasihuddin, transferred from the post of director of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa three days ago and ordered to report to the FIA headquarters, believed that his transfer was the result of his actions against the powerful mafias in Tesco, Wapda, money launderers, banking sectors and NGOs.

Mr Fasihuddin joined FIA on deputation from his parent Police Department around five months ago and during this period this is the second time he had been transferred. Previously, his transfer orders were issued last month but later withdrawn. As reportedly a tug-of-war is going on in the agency for the coveted post, there are reports that the outgoing director might be repatriated to his parent department, although the tenure of deputation is three years.

The former regional director claimed that the mega scam of Rs6.8 billion against Tesco officials was the second largest case detected by the FIA after the Steel Mills scam. He added that the steps taken by him like issuance of notices, compilation of record and constituting an enquiry committee for the said purpose in a shortest period of time was a success story for FIA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He alleged that the Pesco officials, against whom 12 cases had been registered for illegal recruitment, had joined hands with some FIA officials in order to avoid legal action against them and any possible recovery of the Rs6.8 billion losses to the national exchequer.

Mr Fasihuddin pointed out that another enquiry (No. 68/2009) against the Adamjee Paper Mills, which was closed by one of his predecessors for no valid reasons, involved a scam of approx Rs5.2 billion and about 1200 kanals of government land acquired for industry, was re-opened by him. He added that some officials in the FIA in connivance with the 'culprit mafia' were busy to do away with this another mega corruption case.

He pointed out that the strength of the mafia of corruption could be judged from the fact that an executive engineer, a main accused and a friend of a senior FIA officer in the mega case, had been re-posted in the field at the same station Peshawar from desk job within 24 hour of his transfer.